Photo of SS Warrimoo courtesy of the National Library of Australia.

The story of the  SS Warrimoo, a cargo-passenger steamship plying her route from Vancouver to Sydney (top photo). Just before midnight on 31st December 1899 they realized that they were approaching latitude 0°, longitude 180°, i.e., the intersection of International Date Line and the equator. The captain adjusted his course and speed to hit the intersect at the precise time. Midnight struck. The bow of the ship was in the 20th century and the stern in the 19th century. The bow was in the Southern Hemisphere and the stern the Northern Hemisphere, which meant the bow was in summer and the stern in winter. The bow was also in the Eastern Hemisphere, while the stern remained in the Western Hemisphere. In other words, four hemispheres, two seasons, two days, two years, and two centuries** at the same point in time; at least that is how the story goes!